Activities per year
Abstract
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), which in the European context is governed by the EU Directive ”on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment” from 2001, has been pointed out as a relevant area of focus when dealing with climate change, also in urban planning. In the European context integration of climate change in SEA is also legally required. Further comes that potential uncertainty, e.g. in relation to climate change should be addressed in the SEA report. However, studies sow doubt about whether these demands are being met. Against this backdrop, this paper aims to contribute to our understanding of whether and how actors deal with climate change uncertainty in SEA, and seeks to explore the following question:
• How is climate change uncertainty dealt with in SEA of urban planning in practice in Denmark?
For this purpose an analysis of Danish SEA reports is carried out, with a focus on the mandatory consideration of uncertainties. The analysis shows that SEA practice in urban planning to a large extent does not explicitly deal with uncertainties. This leads to a discussion about mechanisms behind avoiding climate change uncertainties, based on literature and reflections on practice. The avoidance of uncertainties is distinguished into the following strategies: Denying uncertainty, ignoring uncertainty and finally postponing consideration of uncertainty. Further two possible reasons behind avoiding uncertainty are proposed: Conflict avoidance and reliance on quantification.
• How is climate change uncertainty dealt with in SEA of urban planning in practice in Denmark?
For this purpose an analysis of Danish SEA reports is carried out, with a focus on the mandatory consideration of uncertainties. The analysis shows that SEA practice in urban planning to a large extent does not explicitly deal with uncertainties. This leads to a discussion about mechanisms behind avoiding climate change uncertainties, based on literature and reflections on practice. The avoidance of uncertainties is distinguished into the following strategies: Denying uncertainty, ignoring uncertainty and finally postponing consideration of uncertainty. Further two possible reasons behind avoiding uncertainty are proposed: Conflict avoidance and reliance on quantification.
Original language | English |
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Publication date | Aug 2012 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Publication status | Published - Aug 2012 |
Event | Second ISA Forum of Sociology: Social Justice and Democratisation - Buenos Aires, Argentina Duration: 1 Aug 2012 → 4 Aug 2012 |
Conference
Conference | Second ISA Forum of Sociology |
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Country/Territory | Argentina |
City | Buenos Aires |
Period | 01/08/2012 → 04/08/2012 |
Activities
- 1 Conference organisation or participation
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Second ISA Forum of Sociology
Sanne Vammen Larsen (Participant)
1 Aug 2012 → 4 Aug 2012Activity: Attending an event › Conference organisation or participation